Pirates Don't Cry
by Mrs.CaptainJack
Summary: Mid-At World's End. Elizabeth wants Jack's forgiveness for killing him. Will he grant it to her or will she spend her life wishing? SPARRABETH implied. R&R, pleeeeeeease!


**_This is a favorite of mine. I love how it turned out. I had about 4 different drafts of it._**

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**Disclaimer: **Jack and Lizzie aren't mine, but I do own a dog.

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Elizabeth sat on the steps that connected the deck of the _Pearl_ with its cargo hold. It was over. Done. They'd rescued Jack. He was safe. She should feel better now, right? That empty spot in her heart should be filled. No, the hollow space echoed with every step she took, with every move she made and with every sound she uttered. She thought that Jack would have been thankful to her for coming to save him from Davy Jones's Locker, but no. He had welcomed her with bitterness and sarcasm. So, everything she'd anticipated had, in fact, been rejected by reality.

Forgiveness. That's all she wanted. Forgiveness. Elizabeth knew she'd killed Jack and she wasn't sorry she had. She'd told him that, and she'd meant it. Killing him was the only thing she could think of, in order for her and Will to get to shore safely. Jack hadn't seemed too upset when then shackles had clicked, when he'd finally realized why she was kissing him, what she was up to. He'd only acknowledged her as a "pirate". Oddly, she'd taken it as a compliment. Of all the things he could have called her... liar, wretch, traitor, wench, murderess... he called her a "pirate". She was a pirate. She smiled, now, at the thought.

The sound of boots pounding down the steps behind her interrupted Elizabeth's thoughts. She turned to find Jack descending towards her. "Oh," he grunted, "it's _you_." He pushed past her and set his feet on the solid floor now, walking away. "Jack!" she called. He whirled and asked in annoyance, "What?"  
"C-can I talk to you?"  
He shook his head and replied matter-of-factly, "No."  
When he turned to walk away again, she stifled, "Please?"

A sigh emerged from him as he trudged back over to her. "Since you said 'please'," he groaned, "I'll give you five minutes." Elizabeth didn't know what to say. She was too shocked that he was even speaking to her. "Well," Jack demanded, "spit it out!" "Uh," she tried, "How was the Locker?"  
He pouted. "Are you seriously asking me that?"  
"Well-"  
"I give you five minutes of _my_ precious time, and all you've got to say is 'How was Hell'?"  
"Alright, so that's not what I wanted to ask."  
"All I know is, you'd better not be asking for any favors." He folded his arms over his chest.  
" ... not exactly... "  
"You have four minutes."  
"Are you upset with me?"

Jack laughed. He actually laughed. Was he laughing _at her_? Elizabeth hugged her knees and felt her cheeks grow red. The pirate wiped away a tear that had been caused by his erotic laughter. "Did you," he chuckled, "did you just ask me if I was _upset_ with you?" "Yes," she replied, "and I know it was stupid-"  
"It _was_ stupid." He'd stopped laughing.  
"What I meant to ask was-"  
"Three minutes."  
"Will you ever forgive me?"  
"No."

Elizabeth held back her tears and nodded in understanding. Jack had said it so honestly and so bluntly, she knew he never would. She also knew that she didn't deserve his forgiveness. She closed her eyes and took deep breaths. As her eyes had shut, a tear had escaped, sliding down her cheek. To her surprise, she heard his boots coming closer, then felt him sit next to her on the steps. He tapped her shoulder.

Opening her eyes and facing Jack, Elizabeth swallowed the lump in her throat. He wiped her tear with his thumb. "Don't cry, Lizzie," he ordered, then added, "pirates don't cry." She hung her head and confessed, "I just want you to forgive me. I don't think I'll be able to live with myself if you don't."  
"Oh, don't worry. You will. Once we get out of this Locker and defeat the Company, you'll go off and marry Will and forget all about me. It won't matter any more."  
"I just want to know _why_ you won't. I mean, I know I don't deserve your forgiveness-"  
"You're right. You _don't_," he said with anger back in his voice.  
"But I guess I'd just hoped you'd find it in your heart-"  
"I'm sorry-wait, no, I'm _not_ sorry-I just can't."  
She choked, "I see."  
"_However_, just because I won't forgive you in _here_," he pointed to his head, "it doesn't mean I can't pretend that I have. I don't have to act on it."  
"It's still not forgiving me, though."  
He patted her back. "You're just going to have to live with that, Lizziebeth."

Jack stood back up and walked back down to the floor again, muttering, "Now, if you'll excuse me, there's a bottle of rum calling my name." After he stalked off, Elizabeth buried her face in her hands and sobbed. It was hopeless. He'd never forgive her. She felt so terrible, her stomach felt sick. "What did I tell you?" Jack's irritated voice asked. She looked up to find him holding a bottle of rum. He strode over and stopped in front of her. "Pirates don't cry," he repeated.

Elizabeth rubbed an eye and admitted, "I can't help it." Jack took a long swig of his rum and smiled, stating, "I forgot to tell you something." She sniffled and wiped her nose on her sleeve, inquiring, "What?" He sat beside her again and smirked, saying, "I quite enjoyed your little kiss of death. I didn't know you had it in you."  
"Ha ha. Very funny." She glared.  
"Seriously, love, it was rather good. William is a very lucky whelp."  
"I suppose that once was quite enough?"  
He shrugged. "Perhaps. I'm not sure. I'll let you know."

Jack got up again and finished his rum, throwing the bottle against a wall. It crashed and shattered into tiny pieces. Elizabeth thought it was the perfect visual aid to how she was feeling inside. He started to walk up to the deck, but she heard him stop and say, "I'm not going to hate you, Elizabeth. I'm not going to kill you or give you the silent treatment or throw fits or-"  
"Or cry," Elizabeth cut in, turning to look at him, smiling weakly, "After all, pirates don't cry."  
He grinned, then became serious again. "Obviously, things can't go back to the way they were before that day. Let's just live now, in these moments. The past is gone, but it won't be forgotten. Know that."  
"Oh, and, Jack... I won't _ever_ forget about you."  
He smiled. "I'll see you on deck."

And, just like that, he was gone.


End file.
